The trend towards customer self-service likely began at the gas pump, but as technology has advanced, so has the complexity of self-service solutions. Now automated self-service has become so common that people take for granted that cash is available at an ATM any time of the day or night, that they can purchase tickets for the train or the movies when they choose, and they can even scan their own groceries. The IT equipment that makes such solutions possible falls in the broad category of Kiosks.
Kiosks are good for both businesses and their customers. Customers get flexibility in their schedule and a higher level of service than what may be available with person-to-person customer service. Businesses get lower overall costs, increased exposure to potential customers, new avenues for marketing and merchandising, and can gather and analyze data about customer behavior and preferences.
Bar code scanning is an important part of a kiosk solution. A bar code provides an easy way to link the physical world to the virtual world. It can be a UPC code on a product, an account number encoded on a utility bill, an access pass printed at home for a special event, or a code on a smart phone that connects the customer to his or her personal account. Datalogic offers a number of bar code readers that are easy to integrate into any kiosk solution.

	Price Verification One of the simplest examples of a self-service kiosk is a price verifier, a small device with a display, a bar code reader, and a network connection. Price verifiers represent an enormous self-service improvement to customers, while at the same time, frees store staff from responding to endless requests about the costs of regular and sale priced items.
	In-Store Digital Merchandising While some customers come to a store already equipped with smart phones to research the stores products, many customers do not have access to such an expensive resource. In-store kiosks provide access to product information in the same way a smart phone does, by reading the bar code. A well-designed kiosk can do more than just educate a customer about the item they are holding, it offers an opportunity to up-sell or cross-sell additional products or services, increasing a store's revenue potential.
	Self-Service Bill Payment Kiosks offering self-service bill payment not only automate a tedious task at a utility or phone company, they provide new services and revenue streams for grocers, convenience stores, banks or financial institutions. Customer account information is commonly encoded using bar codes on the bills. A bar code scanner at a kiosk can link customers to their service providers at convenient times and locations.
	Ticketing Access to events or transportation is increasingly offered through tickets purchased and printed at home, or provided in electronic form on a smart phone display. While the convenience of this technology is both advantageous for customers and promoters alike, it opens up the potential for fraud by replicating or forging a ticket. The key to minimize or eliminate this risk is the encoding of unique identifying information on the ticket within the code itself so it can be easily authenticated at the entry point by an attendant, making it critical that scanning be fast and efficient, even on poorly printed or damaged tickets.
	Reverse Vending Machines DVD rentals kiosks, libraries, and bottle return machines are examples where customers are given credits for leaving items behind rather than paying to take things. In each case, it is important to both automatically and correctly identify the item in order to apply the proper credit. Bar code scanners are the obvious solution.
	Mobile Marketing At the forefront of consumer trends, grocery stores and supermarkets are already jumping into mobile marketing or the use of a mobile device (cell phone, PDA or smart phone) as a new means of marketing communication, promotion or advertising. This new form of marketing opens two-way communication channels for retailers to directly engage and build trusted relationships with customers faster, better and with fewer costs than ever before. In order to implement such programs, stores must be equipped with bar code scanners capable of reading directly from a mobile device's highly reflective screen. Imaging-based bar code scanners are required to read mobile bar codes with the best performance.